Ministry of Minority Affairs
Representation of Minorities in Public Bodies
Candidates to the Local bodies are elected directly by the people through a democratic process and elections to these bodies are conducted as per the laws enacted by the respective State Government and under the supervision of the State Election Commission. All the State Governments have been advised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs  to improve representation of minorities in rural and urban local bodies respectively.
The Government has implemented various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every section of the society including minorities especially economically weaker & downtrodden sections all over the country like Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana , Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana , Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi , Pradhan Mantri UjjwalaYojana , Pradhan Mantri AwasYojana , Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana, etc.
Ministry of Minority Affairs also implements programmes/ schemes for socio-economic and educational empowerment of the six  centrally notified minority communities namely Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. Due to successful implementation of the schemes there has been reduction in school dropout rate among the minority students and also helped in securing gainful employment to the minorities thereby leading to larger participation of minorities in the nation building. The schemes/programmes implemented by the Ministry in brief are as under:-
A. Educational Empowerment Schemes:-
 Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme, Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme - For educational empowerment of students through Direct Benefit Transfer  mode..
 Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme - Provide fellowships in the form of financial assistance.
 Naya Savera - Free Coaching and Allied Scheme - The Scheme aims to provide free coaching to students/candidates belonging to minority communities for qualifying in entrance examinations of technical/ medical professional courses and various Competitive examinations.
 Padho Pardesh - Scheme of interest subsidy to students of minority communities on educational loans for overseas higher studies.
 Nai Udaan - Support for students clearing Prelims conducted by Union Public Service Commission , State Public Service Commission  Staff Selection Commission  etc.
B. Employment oriented schemes:-
 Seekho Aur Kamao - Skill development scheme for youth of 14 - 35 years age group and aiming at providing employment and employment opportunities, improving the employability of existing workers, school dropouts etc.
 USTTAD . Hunar Haat are being organised across the Country to provide employment opportunities and markets to artisans/craftsmen.
 Nai Manzil - A scheme for formal school education & skilling of school dropouts.
 Nai Roshni - Leadership development of women belonging to minority communities.
C. Infrastructure Development Programme:-
 Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram  – Being Implemented to provide basic infrastructure such as Schools, Colleges, ITIs, Polytechnics, Hostels, Sadbhav Mandap, Skill Development Centres, Drinking water and Sanitation facilities, Primary Health Centres etc. in deprived areas of the Country.
The details of the schemes  mentioned above and status of their implementation are available on the website of this Ministry .
During the last 7 years, achievements made under the major Schemes of the Ministry are given as under:
 More than 4.52 crore beneficiaries have been provided different scholarships through the National Scholarship Portal  and Direct Benefit Transfer  out of which more than 53% beneficiaries are female.
 69,544 candidates have been benefitted under the Naya Savera scheme and 5.83 lakh beneficiaries have been trained/allocated under the Seekho aur Kamao scheme.
 Under USTTAD Scheme, Ministry has organised 33 “Hunar Haats” in which more than 7 lakhs artisans and people associated with them have been provided employment and employment opportunities, out of which more than 50% beneficiaries are women.
 Under the “Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram”  more than 43 thousand basic infrastructure projects have been created such as schools, colleges, hostels, community centres, common service centres, ITIs, Polytechnics, Girls Hostels, Sadbhavana Mandap, Hunar Hub etc in backward Minority concentrated areas across the country.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.